Burnt Garlic fried rice and my love for fried rice

Is fried rice one of the most popular rice dishes in the world? If I would have been asked to pass on a verdict, then I would say yes without blinking an eye lid. A simple fried rice with optimum balance of flavours with chopped vegetables and your choice of egg/chicken/prawn/pork, all of them together would be a mixed one. If you are in South East Asia, then you can land up with more sea food on the plate. Fried rice is a great rescuer when it comes to indecision of the ordering food in most Chinese restaurants. For Bengalis, the presence of rice with vegetables and others strike a chord somewhere and there is an instant connection to this food. Is there any Chinese, Indo Chinese, roadside chinese, office Para chinese shop which doesn’t sell Fried rice? Isn’t Fried rice consumed as much as chow chow only?

There is still a restaurant in Chandannagore called Shahjadi (situated near baghbazar Kalibari), one of the first big restaurant with proper seating capacity to be opened up in Chandannagore makes one of the best fried rice I have ever had. I am biased and it’s not only me but this has been a favourite of Ma and my late Baba. Many a lunch or dinner, be it my birthday or Baba Ma’s anniversary, the small packets from Shahjadi with Fried rice has been a witness to our humble yet joyful celebrations. This was a time when eating out was luxury and still now, I think I can go back to this fried rice.

There are few steps which if not followed, the fried rice can be a bummer and I have experienced that also at some places. It depends on the quality of the rice used and the stickiness (depends on whether one has spent time in drying it up overnight or if cooked instantly had the rice dried enough). In the same way, the challenge lies in helping the ingredients retain their individual taste and minimum seasonings. Worst ever, I have seen turmeric powder and garam masala being added in Chinese fried rice; almost like Ripleys believe it or not.

Recently, we had a simple egg fried rice at Chinoiserie, Taj Bengal. This particular fried rice has stayed on our minds since then. Extremely honest flavours bound together and enveloped inside a thin egg omelette created a wow effect as soon as the omlette was cut with a knife and while the rice peeked out, the aroma was incredible. Nothing was in excess. Mild garlic flavour with soft spring onions and buttery grains of rice falling off the fork was just perfect.

Burnt Garlic Fried rice as made in home.

The love for fried rice has been passed on to the next generation also and anytime and any meal can have a fried rice. The burnt garlic fried rice was made at home topped with a full egg with a runny yolk (not mandatory) and we enjoyed our dinner. While writing this, I was curious about how many types of Fried rice there is. Perhaps that’s for another day. The preparation involved of whatever vegetables were there in the refrigerator and making of the scrambled eggs. One can also use some boiled prawns or chicken or even bits if pork.

Print Recipe

Burnt Garlic fried rice and my love for fried rice

This is an easy and quick recipe of fried rice. When you run out of ideas for dinner, this is the easiest thing that can be done and is extremely delicious and fulfilling.

In a wok, heat a tbsp of oil. Now break 2 eggs, some salt and scramble the eggs. Once completely fried, keep the scrambled eggs aside.

In the same wok, add 2 more tbsp of oil. When the oil is relatively hot, add the chopped garlics. Keep the heat at medium and slowly brown the garlics till they are just burnt.

As soon as the garlics are burnt, add the spring onion whites. Turn the heat to high and toss the spring onions.

Add the carrots and beans and continue tossing the vegetables till they become a bit soft.

Add the rice. Then drizzle the soy and the vinegars. Add the black pepper. Now, very genlty, mix the rice with the vegetables. Lower the heat while doing this.

Once everything is mixed, add salt if required and then again increase the heat.

Add the scrambled eggs. Toss everything around so that the flavours bind together.

Finally, turn off the heat and add garnish with spring onions.

While serving, top each plate with a fried egg. It is not only a visual treat but some even like to mix the yolk with the rice and eat. Ofcourse this is completely optional.

Recipe Notes

This recipe is great with left over rice which has been there in the fridge. Incase you are making it with freshly cooked rice, then make sure to not overcook the rice or make it soft. The grains of the rice should not stick to each other.

In case you do not have rice wine vinegar, you can substitute with white vinegar.

You can tweak the recipe with the quantities of soy sauce and vinegar as per your taste.

You can add cauliflower, capsicum and celery if you want to.

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